Over the summer, the University of Cincinnati fired its very successful basketball coach, Bob Huggins. The University President, Nancy Zimpher, cited the poor academic scores, criminal behavior and lack of respect on the part of Coach Huggins’ players. Among college basketball fans, Cincinnati players developed a “thug” image, but the debate occurs across the country. Should schools admit (black) players, even though the school knows the player might not be able to make it academically? If that were the case, what would happen to college sports?
“Mr. Huggins continues to recruit individuals that exhibit a disregard for the law and respectful behavior,” one of the university’s letters read. “I fully understand that off-the-court trouble and the poor choices made by student-athletes are not restricted to UC’s basketball team. Indeed, such discipline and control issues are a national problem. Yet problems appear to be more prevalent in Mr. Huggins’ basketball program.”
The letter went on to state that in a 16-year span, 21 of Huggins’ players had run afoul of the law in a significant way, including three players/recruits who were scheduled to play at UC this season.
“In short,” the letter continued, “although Mr. Huggins may claim some specific successes, the University is seeking an environment and climate where the development of the whole student is sought and the successful education of all our students is realized. And while some may argue that academically challenged individuals who experience difficulty conforming their behavior to appropriate norms deserve a chance at success that a winning college basketball team can provide, UC believes that it can better advance its mission by building a winning program around scholar athletes who earn degrees that will allow them to succeed not only in athletics but more importantly in life generally.”
On writer, “Handy Smurf,” had this to say: “Now we can play games and pretend like we don’t know what Zimpher and Cincinnati are saying. But we know what she’s saying. We know the type of players Huggins used to resurrect the UC basketball program and garner personal fortune and fame. He raided junior colleges for poor black players, snagged an occasional transfer and patched them around other players from the other side of the tracks.”
TheStateOf . . . college sports. I’ve always felt that it is better to admit a student-athlete, then help he or she to improve academically, rather than let the kid remain on the streets. To me, it’s a fair trade. The school is getting the athlete it wants; the kid is getting an education. If the kid chooses not to take advantage of the education, what can the school do about it?
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